


And I Was Elsewhere

by Databuffer



Series: A Boy and his Robot [2]
Category: Lost in Space (TV 2018)
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Alien/Human Relationships, Flashbacks, Gen, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Robot/Human Relationships, The Robot puts his laser hands to good use, Violence, not really /good/ use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-04-25 11:06:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14377338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Databuffer/pseuds/Databuffer
Summary: A hand pressed against its back, pressing under the spikes of its spinal strut. It was offending. The heat felt searing against its metal body, moreso than the fire and the pressure was pushing at a feedback ghost that lingered towards pain. Reflexively the robot flared its plating up to reject its presence, before turning to apprehend the limb. A harsh metal grip seized a small, and almost absurdly soft hand. Yanking it away, and earning a loud gasp.“Sorry!”The Robot revisits a dark place. (But don't worry, it gets better)





	And I Was Elsewhere

Something akin to terror clung to its mind. Four legs stomped and skittered across the floor of the alien vessel.  The metal walkway was littered with signs of battle. Blast marks scared the walls, a smoke layer clung to the ceiling, and of course, bodies along the floor. Some dead, some alive. Which were which were of no matter. Olfactory sensors, and audio sensors alike were overwhelmed with input. Burning meat, singed metal, and melting plastic filled the air, along with sounds of screeching. Terrified babble- not a language, as it had surmised. The species seemed to communicate in loud barks… Everything about them was frail, obnoxious, and utterly offensive.

**_I need to go back._ **

Back for what? The robot was shaken from its thought as alarms blared into its mind. Sensors were alight in pain for the slightest of moments before the sensation ebbed away. Projectiles struck its plates, a few lucky ones striking at the endermal layers. Self preservation code activated with the harmful stimulus, and in moments, the robot had changed course. Turning away from its objective, and seeking to eliminate these new threats before they became a threat to it.

The organic lifeforms held position for a moment, as if they could stop the onslaught. They continued attacking. Weapons spitting metal fragments that seemed designed to cause pain, rather than death of any form. Primitive. Cruel. Its own weapons were leagues better. Death was swift for organics.

 Lasers charged to life, heat building as high as it could before abruptly flickering out as the charged energy was fired off. Put to work in searing one of the organics. The creature let out a loud shriek and dropped its weapon in a loud clatter. It clutched its body tightly as its flesh cooked, and shortly after, went limp. All the while its fellow organics abandoned it. Breaking the nice, neat line they had formed, in favor of retreat. A different hand began charging a new laser blast. One that struck a fleeing organic in the back. It toppled, and slid across the floor lifelessly. The other lifeforms yelped pitifully. What were they trying to say? It was no matter. The robot was dimly aware of its array, and the mixed messages it must have been sending. Blue spackled with red as it flickered between curiosity, and hate. Formation shifting at an outlandish rate as its mind jumped from topic to topic, but alas, it didn’t care enough to attempt to communicate with these lifeforms.

**_I should not be here right now._ **

The robot turned back around as it deemed the threat to be neutralized - a mistake, as it turned out. The second its back was turned, and it had begun lumbering back to its objective, something struck it in the back. A concussive blast knocked it forwards. Heat, and force pressed its plating down, flames licked up its back, and into its plating until its processor was reeling, and its vocalizer was wrung of a few distorted chirrups. The heat… the heat… the burning sensation that crawled over its circuitry. Even after the flames had died away, it crawled up inside it chassis.

Then… flesh…

A hand pressed against its back, pressing under the spikes of its spinal strut. It was offending. The heat felt searing against its metal body, moreso than the fire and the pressure was pushing at a feedback ghost that lingered towards pain. Reflexively the robot flared its plating up to reject its presence, before turning to apprehend the limb. A harsh metal grip seized a small, and almost absurdly soft hand. Yanking it away, and earning a loud gasp.

“Sorry!”

 

 

 

In an instant the robot was pulled back to reality, and away from the memory simulation it had immersed itself in.

The blaring alarms, the burning bodies, and the screams faded away, leaving the robot standing in the hall of Jupiter 2. Outside Will’s quarters, and standing guard. It was night. 3:12 am on the ship’s time. Silent. Only the low hum of the idle engines, and fluorescent lights. That, and quick, shallow breathing from the human in front of it. Will Robinson’s wrist was clenched in its hand. Tightly- not hard enough to do any damage, even to his delicate frame, but still more than it ought to be authorized to administer. Within the span of a millisecond, the robot had released the boy, and taken a step back. Clearing its faceplate completely of the flares of red. Evening out the array to a stoic blue, set in a formation of apology, despite the lingering need to defend itself, and fight back.

Will Robinson stared up at the robot for a logged two minutes, and seventeen seconds, before finally glancing down, licking his lips, and shifting to hold his wrist.

“Are you ok?”

The robot found the lack of answer fitting enough, there was no physical damage to be noted. The human could surmise the answer himself.

“You looked like you were in pain and you were… making noises… Are you hurt?” Will hastily spoke. Fear lingering in his tone – or was it anxiety? It was hard to tell… nevertheless, it tugged at… something. To not respond to that question felt wrong.

The robot moved slowly. Shaking its head in a deliberate back and forth motion. A gesture one of the commander’s sisters had taught him as a universal sign of ‘no’. However the context she had provided, was to do so in response to orders that were…. ‘annoying’… Nevertheless, the human seemed to relax at the statement. Shoulders loosening, and a deep breath escaping him in response.

The two of them were silent for a moment. Will Robinson likely thinking of a new question or order, while the robot was digging through a backlog of orders. Will Robinson’s parental units had requested to make sure Will Robinson didn’t leave his room after 12 am, unless it was an emergency, or to fulfill a bodily care requirement. An order the robot would have ignored, had Will Robinson not explained the chain of command in the ship.

The robot reached out. Gently this time. Placing a cold metal hand on the human’s warm shoulder. Will didn’t flinch. Simply stared up in confusion. That of which evolved into something when the robot used the hand to turn him around, and walk him back into his room. A faint smile. It couldn’t decide what it meant, but the human was compliant. Moving back to the bed as requested without issue. Even climbing back into it without any request to do so. Though it was then that the human issued a new order – an odd one at that.

“Can… you tuck me in? You’ve seen mom do it before, right?”

The term was unfamiliar. It quickly linked up to the ship’s network, however found nothing. Definitions were too wide spread to pin down. The robot tilted its head. A gesture that tended to prompt either an explanation out of Will Robinson, or annoyance. The former was earned. Some sort of nervousness flashed across his face before he spoke.

“Its like… you put the blankets on me and - never mind. I can sleep without it. You can go back to standing out there.”

Something stirred at that. An unfamiliar warmth. One that didn’t burn at its circuitry, or feel like it melted its plates. Instead, one that was somehow comfortable. Will Robinson trusted it to preform a duty reserved for his mother… Somehow it was flattering.

With a slow, gentle care, the robot dropped to one knee, and replaced the blankets back overtop the commander. Arranging them in a way that guarantied maximum heat retention. Will seemed alarmed for a second, before it faded away into a soft smile- this one far more easily read, even to an amateur such as itself. Contentment.

“Good night.” He quietly said.

The robot rose back up to its full height, and made a move to return to its post, only to have Will’s hand scramble to grab at him. It clawed at his thigh with blunt fingertips, catching an opening in the plating, and pulling him back. Inquisitively the robot turned its head back to the human.

“Wait-“

Will’s face was still, the smile gone, instead replaced with concern. He opened his mouth once or twice to speak, but failed to do so. The robot remained where it was, patiently.

“Can you stay in here? I know dad said you shouldn’t, but…” The robot needed no further prompting. It changed course, standing with its back to the wall, tucked out of the way, but in a place where it could observe, and protect. It was not as good of a vantage point as the hall, but the commander seemed far more comfortable with it here. Orders were orders.

 

The room was quiet. Will succumbing to sleep easily, and quickly. Leaving the robot alone once more. However this time, it didn’t fall back onto that horrific memory to entertain its processor in the quiet hours, and instead glanced over more recent ones. That warmth lingered. Clinging to its processer incessantly, but not unpleasantly. As it searched through recent interactions with the commander, it put a name to it. Now certain it was a positive identification, as it felt the sensation grow with each positive memory.

 

Affection.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to request stuff of them! I love these two a lot, and don't mind others supplying me with ideas.  
> Just note that I probably won't get to all, and I won't write Will/Robot bc,,, he's 11,,,,,


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